App Stores: Not Just for Mobile Phones and Tablets Anymore

App stores aren't just for mobile phones and tablets anymore. A new survey conducted by Partnerpedia revealed that companies want to extend Enterprise App Store solutions to support laptops and desktops, too.

Partnerpedia, a provider of mobile app management and marketplace solutions, recently conducted the survey of enterprise companies that showcased the trend.

According to Partnerpedia's survey, 77 percent of respondents support a "bring your own device" policy within the company, which a big trend among companies recently. The study revealed that besides support for mobile phones and tablets, 76 percent of respondents indicated they also needed EAS to support laptops. Sixty-four percent urged desktops be considered, too. Most importantly, 86 percent indicated the desire to support formats such as documents, files and videos, which can be controlled by the EAS model.

The EAS model allows IT managers to control, publish, distribute and manage approved apps to end user devices. Administrators can also perform tasks such as virus checking, policy management and user access control.

Gartner, an IT research firm, reported that by 2014, 60 percent of IT organizations will deploy private app stores. Respondents from Partnerpedia's survey indicated that they plan to implement private app stores within the next 12 months or by March 13.

Partnerpedia, on the other hand, will be previewing its cloud-based EAS solution, the Enterprise App Zone, at Enterprise Connect in Orlando, Florida. For more information, visit Partnerpedia's website.